Actress Badhon alleges harassment, attack by Awami League supporters in Italy

Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhon has alleged that she and her family were attacked and harassed by expatriate Bangladeshis she identified as Awami League supporters in Mestre, Italy.

During a livestream on her verified Facebook page early today (8 September), the actress said she had gone to a park with her brother and his family when a group of Bengali expatriates approached them and attacked her.

“I went to the park here with my brother’s family. Many of our Bengali brothers came and physically harassed me. They threw water and Coke on me. I became completely wet,” she added.

“They raised their hands on my body, threw my phone and hit me near my ear,” Badhon alleged, adding that the group repeatedly referred to her participation in the July Uprising.

“I am a July fighter. Yes, I am. I definitely participated in the July Uprising,” she quoted herself as saying during the confrontation.

The actress further alleged that the attackers identified themselves as supporters or “soldiers of Bangabandhu” and forced her to chant, “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.”

She claimed that those involved were also recording and livestreaming the incident.

“They could have killed me,” Badhon said while describing the incident.

Badhon is in Italy to attend the Venice International Film Festival. She travelled there in connection with the film “The Difficult Bride,” directed by Rubaiyat Hossain.

Mahfuj Alam, former adviser in the interim government formed after the uprising, was among those who quickly condemned the incident.

In a statement, he said the incident was a reminder that the Awami League was a “terrorist and fascist organisation.”

Mahfuj alleged that the party was responsible for disappearances, killings, political persecution and large-scale embezzlement, saying its “bloodlust” continues after the July Uprising.